Why Halo: The Master Chief Collection Is Important
It's an interesting time to be a Halo fan.
Over the past few years, the franchise has been in an incredibly evident state of transition. Following 2010's Halo: Reach, Microsoft's in-house studio 343 Industries assumed the mantle of responsibility for Xbox's most important exclusive IP, taking the franchise in a new direction on multiple levels. Narratively, the series moved on from the wartime saga that had defined every title released since the series' conception, 343 instead choosing to move the franchise forward into the tumultuous period following the Human-Covenant War. The Expanded Universe... expanded, largely in two directions. One trilogy of novels written by Karen Traviss chronicled both the paranoid months and years following the events of Halo 3 and the political strife that occurred during that period. Another trilogy by Greg Bear took the series in a direction more akin to fantasy, finally shedding light on the Forerunners, the precursor race that existed millions of years before the start of the series that created the Halo rings and, in doing so, set a sequence of events in motion that would eventually culminate in the events of the original trilogy.
343 then produced a webseries, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, that chronicled the early life of Thomas Lasky, a core character in the events of Halo 4. And then, finally, in 2012, all of the EU build-up culminated in the release of 343's first original Halo game - Halo 4, which, after five years, reintroduced the Master Chief as the series' main protagonist and officially kicked off the "Reclaimer Saga", 343's official term for the next grand Halo story arc. The game also arguably delivered Halo's best campaign in years, finally granting the Master Chief character development previously only evidenced in the pages of the EU and in the process, lending his relationship with Cortana a newfound pathos.
On the multiplayer end of things, however, Halo 4 could have been categorized as a failure. The increased emphasis on loadouts, character customization, and other Call Of Duty-esque gameplay mechanics disappointed die-hard fans of the franchise, who missed the even playing field and arena combat afforded by the game's predecessors. The online player-base dropped dramatically, and Halo 4's multiplayer community quickly became a fraction of its predecessors'.
Now, after a smaller release on mobile platforms (Halo: Spartan Assault) and more EU expansion in the form of an ongoing comic series (Halo: Escalation), 343 Industries now finds itself on the verge of a huge franchise turning point once again. Next year, 343 will launch Halo 5: Guardians, the next chapter in the Reclaimer Saga and the first main series release on Xbox One. Before that, however, 343 will preface this next chapter with a tribute to the series so far - Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a compilation of Halos 1-4 all upgraded to run at 1080p resolution and 60 FPS. Set to launch on November 11th, the MCC will also feature Halo 2: Anniversary, a complete remastering of Halo 2's campaign featuring re-done graphics and new cinematics produced by Blur studios. In addition, Halo: Nightfall, a new digital series akin to Forward Unto Dawn, will also be included in the MCC. Nightfall will introduce new character Agent Jameson Locke prior to his debut as Halo 5's secondary protagonist next Fall. The MCC will also feature access to Halo 5's multiplayer beta, beginning in December, and finally - and most pleasingly to long-time fans - all four games' multiplayer suites in their original forms, running at 1080p and 60 FPS on Xbox One. The Master Chief Collection is a love letter to the fans, a tribute to everything the series has accomplished so far.
However, the Master Chief Collection, upon closer examination, is more than just a compilation. It's a signpost, signaling a turning point in the franchise's history. Arguably, it's the most important release 343 will have overseen to date, and there are multiple reasons why, as it's going to foreshadow the franchise's future on multiple levels.
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